Kroger and Albertsons, the owners of Mariano’s and Jewel Osco chains, announced a $24.6 billion merger Friday. Locally, this deal unites one of the oldest Chicago franchises with its primary competitor.

Here are some of the big takeaways:

• If approved by federal regulators, the merger will go into effect in 2024.
• The two chains have a combined 710,000 workers and 5,000 stores.
• Kroger will control 13.5% of the grocery industry.

While it’s still unclear what this will mean for shoppers, some Chicagoans are already worried about the potential consequences.

“It’s a total freakin’ disaster for Chicago,” one listener from Andersonville told Reset Monday.

The consolidation was announced as food prices have increased significantly from last year, impacting low-income communities in the Chicago area the hardest.

Recently, local grocery stores have closed in communities with already-limited access to food. Some Chicagoans fear that the Kroger-Albertsons merger could further limit food access as stores are combined or shut down.

For some Chicago residents, this recent announcement echoes the loss of the Dominick’s food chain in 2013. In addition to fears about food prices and access, there’s uneasiness around whether a partnership between two grocery store giants will strip community mainstays of their charm.

And still others are worried about how Jewel — a regional brand — will change under new ownership.

“If Jewel falls, what does that mean for the rest of us, right?” Ashok Selvam, editor of Eater Chicago, said on Reset.

You can listen to Reset’s full conversation about the merger by clicking the audio player above.